Back in 2001, a revolutionary new product was unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. Seemingly lightyears ahead of its rivals, the Segway looked set to change how we get around. What was Segway? Essentially, it was a small "electric vehicle" that…

All sci-fi fans will know that whilst technological advancement makes our mundane little lives easier and more rewarding everyday, take your mind off its potential dangers for just a few seconds and it can turn around and bite you…

At the Gadget Show Live last weekend, I got as close to a Segway as I’ve ever been, which made me ridiculously excited. I want one. But if I can’t get one, then this is probably the next best thing – it’s a Steampunk Segway, powered by pedalling.

The best thing, though, is that the creator has taken the time to document the entire creation process on Instructables. Make your own, but don’t come crying to us if it falls apart on the hard shoulder of the M4.

GM motors and Segway have teamed up to create a two-seater version of the battery-powered travel device set to achieve top speeds of 35mph for around an hour at a time.

The PUMA – Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility – project started 18 months ago and is not expected to come to market “any time soon” but offers an interesting alternative to both bicycle and car transport with both a covered over body and front and rear stabilising wheels for use at traffic lights and junctions.

Should PUMA ever come to the consumer, it’s not a hell of a lot more likely that they’ll be legalised in the UK and part of me wonders how green an option they’d be anyway given they’d probably require the building of new, special lanes and that, when you taken into account the fuel used to charge up their Li-ion batteries, they only actually give you an equivalent to 70 miles per gallon. Still, they look like a lot of fun.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wanted a Segway ever since enjoying the performances of Will Arnett as Gob in Arrested Development. What you probably hadn’t considered for a second was replacing the tried and tested wheel element with a load of tiny motorised legs. If you had, then I’m sorry: you’ve been beaten to the punch. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the Cajun Crawler:

Right, that's it. I'm officially jealous. Susi went down to Cornwall the other day under the guise of something about sending messages into space but actually, it seems, to have Segway lessons. See footage below…

This one fits firmly into the hobbyist category, but a bloke on a set of message boards has managed to create a little mini-Segway using parts worth about thirty quid or so. All it consists of is some Lego and an Arduino…

Toyota has developed its own incarnation of the oft-mocked Segway. The Winglet Personal Transporter is a vertical mechanised scooter, though at present it has a paltry top speed of 3.7 miles per hour — around a quarter that of a Segway — so it’s probably quicker to walk. You’ll look less silly that way, too…